Bid To Raze Fish Hospital Under Budget

DELAND — Turned in at literally the last minute Monday, the lowest bid to demolish the old Bert Fish Hospital in DeLand is for significantly less money than had been expected.

Tampa's Kimmins Contracting submitted the $294,000 bid that appears to be the frontrunner for the contract, which is scheduled to be awarded at the Jan. 6 City Commission meeting.

The company's courier arrived at City Hall just in time for the 3 p.m. bid opening.

The city expected to spend $415,000 to raze the old hospital on an 8-acre tract at the edge of downtown DeLand. The land will be turned over to Volusia County government as the site for a planned justice center.

''Good bid,'' DeLand City Manager Wayne Sanborn said after all nine bids had been opened, with Kimmins the apparent winner.

''There doesn't look to be anything that's unusual. I feel like on the face of it, we've got a very good bidder,'' he said.

The next-lowest bid of $297,000 came from Simpson and Associates, of Trilby (north of Lakeland). Philip Environmental Services, from Tampa, submitted the highest bid at $505,000.

Kimmins' references will be checked and the bid thoroughly examined before the contract is awarded, Sanborn said.

George Peterson, who estimated the price of the project for Kimmins, said he thinks it's a solid bid.

The fact that Kimmins has its own licenses to remove hazardous materials may have saved some money, Peterson said. Some of the old hospital's fire doors are blanketed with asbestos, and six empty petroleum tanks are buried underneath it. There is also some lead-based paint that needs to be removed before demolition.

Several other companies that submitted bids had planned to bring in a subcontractor for those jobs.

One of the things DeLand officials hoped would bring the cost of the project down - the salvage rights to the hospital's base materials - wasn't a factor, Peterson said.

''Even though we know there will be some salvage on the job, I don't believe it will be enough to make a significant difference in the price,'' he said. ''We just feel that with our work force and the way the job was laid out, our price is a good one for the city and our company.''

As for the extra funds, Sanborn said it will probably go to buy a piece of property that's integral to the planned Earl Brown Park expansion. The city has the extra money because it took out a loan for the project.